Sanitary mattress



Feb. 8, 1949. c. BpKANE SANITARY MATTRESS Filed. Oct. 21,- 1946 R.E mmwi ma. C

A TTURNEY Patented Feb. 8, 1949 AUNITED STATES rmi-:NTfforifica-f-f.sANiTAnY Mn'rrnnss I Catherine B. Kane, Greenwich, Conn.y

Application october 21 This invention relates to sanitary mattresses,and aims to provide a sturdy and-durable, readily reversible, sanitaryand air conditioned or ventilated mattress, adapted for use inhospitalsas well as in homes, hotels, etc. Y v

The above and other objects will become apparent in `the descriptionbelow, wherein likenamed parts refer to the: accompanying drawings, -Itis to be understoodthat it is neither intended nor desired to limit theinvention necessarily to thespecic details shown or described,exceptingV insofar as lthey are essential to the spirit and scope of theinvention,

Referring briey to thedrawinga Fig. 1 is a plan view, with partsbroken'awayand partly in section, .of the improved mattress.

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of the mattress, partly in section onthe line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary plan view of the Inattress, with parts brokenaway and partly in section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1.

Referring in detail tothe drawings, the numerals IIl and II indicate apair of equidimensional flat sheets of strong yet resilient material, such as, for instance, steel or exible plastic material, laid one uponthe other and provided along their peripheral edges with bent backtongues I2 v and I3, respectively. These tongues are bent back at anangle of 90 degrees and extend in mutually opposite directions, asshown. A plurality of spaced vertically aligned openings I 4 areprovided through both sheets IIJ and II,

Mounted upon the upper sheet Ill, is a single moulded rubber member I5having formed therein a plurality of spaced vertical walls, circular incross-section, arranged in honeycomb fashion,

'j with the walls in tangential contact with each g other, as shown inFig. 3. It is apparent that the transverse rowsV of walls I6 arestaggered with relation to their neighboring rows, thus providingalternate rows I1 and I8 which include not only the Walls I6 thereof butalso, between the said walls, unoccupied spaced or chambers I9 and 20,respectively. The chambers 2U occurring in al- ,leiofseriarnm 704,709 11claim.` (ois-35's) 1 A:second identical4 member 23,like that shownl atI5, having the same cylindrical walls I5 "and all thesother features ofvthe `memberf I5,""is

mounted under the sheet II, with allor the walls I6 and the other partsthereof in vertical alignment with those of the member I5.

Theentire structure'thus far described, thatis, the'v interior of themattress, ,is covered witha vrubber cover 24 having the top wall25',bottom wall 26, end walls `21and 28, and side walls 29 and 30,flttingsnugly around the rsaid interior 'structurel This cover may besealed, by vulcan-H izing vor a'ny other means, not shown, Yas soonas ithasbeen applied, ory it might beprovided with one of the end or sideWalls leftin Athe mannerv of a flapzso that it may be removed from themattress Yand'of course in that 'case provided-with some form ofclosure, not shown, such as buttons, a zipper, or the like.

Semi-cylindrical channels 3l and 32 are cut into the mutually opposed orcontacting surfaces ternate transverse rows are lled in with the rub"vof the sheets I0 and l I', respectively, communicating between theopenings I4 of the sheets, so that when the sheets are juxtaposed asshown, these channels form the complementary halves of cylindrical ports33 giving communication between all of the openings I4 and hence all thevertical openings 2 I., The end and side walls of the cover 24 areprovided with openings therethrough,

shown at 34, in alignment with the peripheral ends of the ports 33.Likewise, openings 35 are provided in the top and bottom walls of thecover 24 in alignment with ther ends of the vertical openings 2I.

The preferable form of mounting the cover 24 would probably be to secureit in sealed condition, as previously mentioned, and also to secure it Yaround the openings 35 to the rubber in the chamy f bers 20 surroundingthe openings 2I, also by vulcanizing, gluing, or any other means, notshown, in order to prevent slipping of the cover openings 35 out ofalignment-with the vertical openings 2 I.

The same may also be done around the endand A side wall openings 34 forthe same reason.

A mattress such as describedabove could be used to good advantage inhospitals or for ill persons generally, particularly thebedridden, aswell as in the homes for general use. .If an excretionv is passed `fromthe bladderV onto the mattress, it will pass down through the vopenings2| through the bottom of the mattress, where it might be caught by apan, not shown. Owing to the sealing between the walls of these openingsand the rest of the mattress, none of the ex cretion would penetrateinto the interior structure, and the walls of these openingsv couldreadily by rinsed or ilushed to clean them. Circulation of air throughthe channels 33 into the openings 2l provides for constant ventilationof the openings 2|, and the movements of a person in the bed would, asis obvious, disturb the air in the channels 33 and the openings 2l toenhance the ventilation and prevent the trapped air from becomingstagnant. f

The resiliency of thelsheets `or plates.' IBA and li obviously adds' tothe springiness or softness of the mattress, yet it gives a degree ofnormal rigidity which is desirable, and it of course pro-v videspositive reinforcement to prevent. ang-sub-V a.;plurality of mutuallyaligned vertical open-V ings therethrough, apairgof-rnembers ofwaterproof .material -mounted one on the upperV of said sheets and. theother against the low-er of said sheets, Vsaid' membershaving aplurality of spaced: cylindrical walls formed therein, said ,cy-

lmdrcalrwallsrof one of said membersbeing--in verticalalignment withVsaid ,Walls-:oi the other memben coiled springs` mounted Withiursaidcyis identical in Ylindrical Walls, aligned vertical openings throughsaid members in alignment with said aligned openings through saidsheets, and a cover of Waterproof material enclosing said mattress, saidcover having openings therethrough in alignment with said alignedvertical openings, the mutually juxtaposed surfaces of said sheetshaving complementary semi-cylindrical channels thereinrextending betweenthe opposed periph- `10 eral ledges of'rsaid sheetsfand intersectingsaid aligned' sheet openings" thereby providing cylindrical passagescommunicating between said aligned sheet openings and the peripheraledges of .said sheets, said cover having openings in l5 the side and endWalls thereof in alignment with the outer extremities of said passagesat the peripheral' edges of said sheets, said cover having openingsthrough the top and bottom walls thereof in alignment Withsad alignedvertical open- 2e ings of said members.

, CATHERINE'B. KANE. REFERENCES CLTED The following references are ofrecord inthe nle of this patent:

UNITED STATES-PATENTS Y Date Number

